Hearing aid device having wireless communication

ABSTRACT

A hearing aid device having a telecoil and a power consuming element is disclosed. The hearing aid device further comprises an at least partial loop in the power supply line, which at least partial loop provides a magnetic signal that at least attenuates or cancels noise induced from the power draw of the power consuming component.

This application is a Continuation of copending application Ser. No.15/892,662, filed on Feb. 9, 2018, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C.§ 119(a) to application Ser. No. 17/155,380.3, filed in Europe on Feb.9, 2017, all of which are hereby expressly incorporated by referenceinto the present application.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to hearing aid devices having wirelesscommunication, such as wireless reception. The reception may be at audiofrequencies, such as in a telecoil system. The disclosure relate tohearing aid devices having an inductive communication system and a powerconsuming component that may draw power from a power source at intervalscorresponding to audio frequencies. Such systems could be in a hearingaid device comprising both an RF system and an inductive system, such asa Bluetooth-based system, currently such systems most often operate at2.4 GHz, and a magnetically based system, e.g. a telecoil and/or otherinductive communication system. Also, a component such as a speaker inthe hearing aid device housing may be operated at audio frequencies.

BACKGROUND

As different kinds of communication between a hearing aid device and anexternal unit is often of benefit there is a need to provide a hearingaid device being capable of supporting a range of different modes ofcommunication. However, when different modes of communication are usedthere is a risk that, due to various reasons, signals from onecommunication system induce noise in the other system. Further, theremay be interference from one communication system to the other, wherethe interference arises from parts of the first system that was notintended to radiate, e.g. from currents in parts not being the antenna.Such currents could cause magnetic coupling to parts of the othercommunication systems. Still further, large current draws from any partof a hearing aid device could cause magnetic coupling to parts of any ofthe communication systems in the hearing aid device.

Further, in so-called behind-the-ear configurations where a housing isconfigured to be positioned behind the ear of a wearer, sound generatedfrom a speaker in the housing is guised to the ear canal of the wearerthrough a tube extending from the housing to an ear piece wherefrom itis delivered to the ear canal. When the speaker is operated, the currentdraw may be significant and magnetic signals at audio frequency may beemitted which could cause noise in the signal received in the telecoil.

Therefore, there is a need to provide a solution that addresses at leastsome of the above-mentioned problems. The present disclosure provides atleast an alternative to the prior art.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect a hearing aid device is provided. The hearing aiddevice may comprise a housing configured to be positioned on or at anear of a user; the housing extending in a longitudinal direction. Thiscould for instance be a so-called behind-the-ear hearing aid, where aspeaker is included in the housing and sound guided out via a tube, or areceiver-in-the-ear hearing aid, where a speaker is positioned in theear canal. Further alternatively the housing may be an in-the-ear style,where all or most of the housing is positioned in or at the ear canal.

The hearing aid device may comprise a power source arranged in thehousing and a power connector configured to establish electrical contactwith the power source, the power connector extending along a first powerconnector axis. The power source may be replaceable or replenishable.The hearing aid device may comprise a first power consuming componentarranged on a first substrate, where the first substrate arranged is inthe housing. The hearing aid device may comprise the first powerconsuming component being powered by said power source via said powerconnector. The hearing aid device may comprise a telecoil arranged inthe housing at a distance from said first power consuming component. Thetelecoil is configured to receive inductive communication at a firstfrequency, which frequency is at audio frequencies. The telecoil isoften used for receiving microphone signals from various sources such aschurches, concert halls, cinemas, universities, some taxi cabs, e.g.found in London and New York City, airports and train stations, museums(for guided tours). The telecoil often comprises a small wire coiledaround a rod located inside the hearing aid device and pick up magneticsignals, which are then streamed as sound through the output transducer,i.e. the speaker. The hearing aid device may comprise a conductivesupply line that may extend between the power connector and the firstpower consuming component, and a part of the conductive supply line maythen be formed or shaped so as to form at least part of a loop. Theloop, or at least partly loop, may be arranged so that when the firstpower consuming component draws power from the power source a magneticfield originating from the power connector due to the power draw is atleast reduced at the telecoil by a second magnetic field created at theat least partial loop in the conductive path. As the power draw createsa current one place in the power supply, e.g. at the power connector, amagnetic field is generated almost instantaneously in the loop and thetwo fields, if not cancel out, at least the second field reduce thefirst field generated due to the power draw. Preferably, a part of theconductive supply line is formed on a substrate, including the part havea geometry as at least part of a loop. The part, i.e. the part formed asa loop, of the supply line is configured to emit a second magnetic fieldin response to the first power consuming component drawing power fromthe power source, so that a magnetic field originating from the powerconnector, due to the power draw, is at least reduced at the telecoil bythe second magnetic field. This could be seen as a passive compensationas it does not require an active action e.g. in a noise cancellationalgorithm applied to a signal from the sensitive component. The part maybe configured to do this owing to the size of the at least partial loopshape and/or size, and/or the position of the at least partial loop inrelation to the telecoil and/or other sensitive component. The at leastpartial loop is located somewhere in the supply line between the batteryand the power consuming component, and preferably not around thecomponent. As mentioned herein the supply line may extend over and/orthrough several substrates and may include wires and/or other conductivepaths. By not placing the at least partial loop around the component itis intended that more possibilities are available for designing theoptimal compensation at areas or volumes within the hearing aid wheresensitive components are present. This is, as outlined herein,especially important when dealing with components such as a telecoil. Itis more especially important when components are subjective to noise atfrequencies falling within a range corresponding to operationfrequencies of other components. Thus, during use, a first magneticfield will be emitted due to the current draw of the power consumingcomponent, this will be a disturbing field at the telecoil, or othersensitive component, this field may be e.g. emitted from a connectionarm at the battery. The at least partial loop, during use, will create asecond magnetic field which will also be present at the telecoil. Theresultant magnetic field, from the first and the second magnetic fields,at the telecoil, will be substantially lower than the first magneticfield alone, thus, the second magnetic field will compensate for thedisturbance from the first magnetic field. The telecoil will then beable to sense the telecoil field with less noise from the first magneticfield than in situations where the second magnetic field would not bepresent. The at least partial loop may be formed on a substrate closeto, e.g. in the vicinity of, the disturbing, power consuming component,but preferably not directly around the power consuming component.

The first power consuming component may be or comprise a communicationsystem. This could for instance be a Bluetooth system, or other similarsystem operated at carrier high frequency, where the communicationsystem draw a substantially amount of power from the battery atintervals, which may cause generation of fields at a frequencycorresponding to the audio frequency sensed by the telecoil. It couldfor instance be that the system commences to send or receive a datapackage, or series of packages, around 400 times each second, this couldthen cause or create a disturbing magnetic signal with a frequencyaround 400 Hz to disturb reception at the telecoil. The communicationsystem may be connected to an antenna for transmitting and/or receivingelectromagnetic radiation at a first frequency, e.g. 2.4 GHz. The firstpower consuming component may (alternatively or additionally) be orcomprises a speaker arranged in the housing. Thus, several components inthe hearing aid may be source of disturbances in other components.Especially when such a speaker is operated at high power levels, thepower draw to the speaker may be substantial, and as the speaker islocated in the housing the electric field generated by the power drawmay interfere with the telecoil. In both cases, the at least partialloop will help reduce the interfering magnetic field in or at thetelecoil. A shielding conductor, e.g. in the form of a wire orconductive path, may be included at the supply line directly in thevicinity of the receiver, i.e. the speaker. This may help reduceemission originating from the supply lines and/or the speaker especiallyduring periods where the current supply to the speaker is high.

The power connector may be orientated in the housing so that the firstpower connector axis extends in a direction substantially parallel tothe longitudinal axis of the housing. The orientation of the powerconnector may play a substantial role in the resulting disturbingsignal, depending also on the orientation of the telecoil. Theorientation of the telecoil may be governed by e.g. space limitations,as hearing aid devices are small, compact devices with anever-increasing requirement to be less and less visible when mounted atthe ear of the user/wearer.

The first communication system may be included in an integrated circuit,and a part of the conductive supply line may be shaped similar to theoutline of the integrated circuit component. That part of the supplyline is preferably formed on a substrate, e.g. a printed circuit board.The similarly shaped part may be positioned at the integrated circuitcomponent, or may be positioned elsewhere on a substrate in the hearingaid.

The supply line may be formed, or span, over a multitude of connectedsubstrates. In some instances at least one of the multiple substratesmay be orientated perpendicular to the first substrate. The supply linemay be formed over or span several layers in one or more substrates.

The telecoil may be arranged in the housing so that the longitudinalaxis of the telecoil is substantially parallel to the first substrate.The telecoil may be arranged so that the longitudinal axis of thetelecoil is substantially parallel to the direction of the powerconnector. The at least partial loop may form or define a loop plane,where the loop plane may be arranged or configured so that the resultantmagnetic field counter the disturbing magnetic field at the telecoil.The telecoil may be arranged so that the longitudinal axis of thetelecoil is substantially perpendicular to the loop plane defined by theat least partial loop. The telecoil may be arranged so that thelongitudinal axis of the telecoil is substantially parallel to the loopplane defined by the at least partial loop. The telecoil may be arrangedso that the longitudinal axis of the telecoil defines an angel of around10 to 40 degrees to the loop plane defined by the at least partial loop,such as around 15 degrees from perpendicular.

The at least partial loop may be arranged at or around the periphery ofthe first power consuming component, such as in or on the substratecarrying the first power consuming component. Placing the at leastpartial loop near the power consuming component may be advantageous inthat the magnetic signal from the loop may be less powerful compared tothe disturbing signal that needs to be cancelled or reduced. The atleast partial loop may be arranged closer to the telecoil than the powerconsuming component.

The power source may be a cylindrically shaped battery, and wherein thecenter axis of the battery, when arranged in the housing, is orthogonalto the longitudinal direction of the housing. The battery may bepositioned in a battery drawer in the housing. The power source may berechargeable and/or replaceable. The hearing aid device may includecircuitry for controlling a recharging process of the power source. Thehearing aid may be configured to recharge the power source via awireless or wired connection to an outside power source.

The hearing aid device may further comprise a second power connectorconfigured to establish electrical contact with the power source,wherein the power connector and the second power connector may then bearranged so that they contact different sides of the power source, suchas opposite or adjoining sides of the power source.

The second power connector may extend along a second power connectoraxis that may be perpendicular to the power connector axis. A part ofthe disturbing magnetic field may arise from both the power connectorand the second power connector.

A part of the supply line may be raised compared to the first substrate.This could be an additional, or second, part of the supply line. Thissecond, raised, part could then create or emit a second magnetic fieldin response to the current draw. The resultant field would then, atleast, comprise the disturbing field and the two compensation fields,namely from the partial loop and from the raised part. In such aconfiguration the raised part could be constituted by e.g. a wire, athread, a flexible material including a conductor, a coil or the like.

The raised part of the supply line may be configured so that the atleast partly loop surrounds at least part of the first power consumingcomponent. The raised part could for instance be configured to lie atthe circumference of the power consuming element.

The features and aspects mentioned above may be combined eitherindividually or collected.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The aspects of the disclosure may be best understood from the followingdetailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures.The figures are schematic and simplified for clarity, and they just showdetails to improve the understanding of the claims, while other detailsare left out. Throughout, the same reference numerals are used foridentical or corresponding parts. The individual features of each aspectmay each be combined with any or all features of the other aspects.These and other aspects, features and/or technical effect will beapparent from and elucidated with reference to the illustrationsdescribed hereinafter in which:

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a hearing aid device configured to bepositioned behind the ear of a wearer;

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates two substrates carrying electroniccomponents and a power source; and

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates two substrates carrying electroniccomponents and a power source and a telecoil;

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a substrate carrying a power consumingcomponent and a supply line including a partial loop arranged at thepower consuming component,

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a substrate carrying a power consumingelement and a raised portion of a power supply line, and

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a substrate carrying a power consumingelement and a second substrate carrying a raised portion of a powersupply line.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appendeddrawings is intended as a description of various configurations. Thedetailed description includes specific details for the purpose ofproviding a thorough understanding of various concepts. However, it willbe apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may bepracticed without these specific details. Several aspects of theapparatus and methods are described by various blocks, functional units,modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, etc.(collectively referred to as “elements”). Depending upon particularapplication, design constraints or other reasons, these elements may beimplemented using electronic hardware, computer program, or anycombination thereof.

The electronic hardware may include microprocessors, microcontrollers,digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays(FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), gated logic, discretehardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform thevarious functionality described throughout this disclosure. Computerprogram shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instructionsets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, softwaremodules, applications, software applications, software packages,routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution,procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware,middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

A hearing aid device, may include a hearing aid that is generallyadapted to improve or augment the hearing capability of a user byreceiving an acoustic signal from a user's surroundings, generating acorresponding audio signal, possibly modifying the audio signal andproviding the possibly modified audio signal as an audible signal to atleast one of the user's ears. The “hearing aid device” may further referto a device such as an earphone or a headset adapted to receive an audiosignal electronically, possibly modifying the audio signal and providingthe possibly modified audio signals as an audible signal to at least oneof the user's ears. Such audible signals may be provided in the form ofan acoustic signal radiated into the user's outer ear, or an acousticsignal transferred as mechanical vibrations to the user's inner earsthrough bone structure of the user's head and/or through parts of middleear of the user or electric signals transferred directly or indirectlyto cochlear nerve and/or to auditory cortex of the user.

The hearing aid device is adapted to be worn in any known way. This mayinclude i) arranging a unit of the hearing aid device behind the earwith a tube leading air-borne acoustic signals into the ear canal orwith a receiver/loudspeaker arranged close to or in the ear canal suchas in a Behind-the-Ear type hearing aid, and/or ii) arranging thehearing aid device entirely or partly in the pinna and/or in the earcanal of the user such as in a In-the-Ear type hearing aid orIn-the-Canal/Completely-in-Canal type hearing aid, or iii) arranging aunit of the hearing aid device attached to a fixture implanted into theskull bone such as in Bone Anchored Hearing Aid or Cochlear Implant, oriv) arranging a unit of the hearing aid device as an entirely or partlyimplanted unit such as in Bone Anchored Hearing Aid or Cochlear Implant.

A “hearing system” refers to a system comprising one or two hearing aiddevices, and a “binaural hearing system” refers to a system comprisingtwo hearing aid devices where the devices are adapted to cooperativelyprovide audible signals to both of the user's ears. The hearing systemor binaural hearing system may further include auxiliary device(s) thatcommunicates with at least one hearing aid device, the auxiliary deviceaffecting the operation of the hearing aid devices and/or benefittingfrom the functioning of the hearing aid devices. A wired or wirelesscommunication link between the at least one hearing aid device and theauxiliary device is established that allows for exchanging information(e.g. control and status signals, possibly audio signals) between the atleast one hearing aid device and the auxiliary device. Such auxiliarydevices may include at least one of remote controls, remote microphones,audio gateway devices, mobile phones, public-address systems, car audiosystems or music players or a combination thereof. The audio gateway isadapted to receive a multitude of audio signals such as from anentertainment device like a TV or a music player, a telephone apparatuslike a mobile telephone or a computer, a PC. The audio gateway isfurther adapted to select and/or combine an appropriate one of thereceived audio signals (or combination of signals) for transmission tothe at least one hearing aid device. The remote control is adapted tocontrol functionality and operation of the at least one hearing aiddevices. The function of the remote control may be implemented in aSmartPhone or other electronic device, the SmartPhone/electronic devicepossibly running an application that controls functionality of the atleast one hearing aid device.

In general, a hearing aid device includes i) an input unit such as amicrophone for receiving an acoustic signal from a user's surroundingsand providing a corresponding input audio signal, and/or ii) a receivingunit for electronically receiving an input audio signal. The hearing aiddevice further includes a signal processing unit for processing theinput audio signal and an output unit for providing an audible signal tothe user in dependence on the processed audio signal.

The input unit may include multiple input microphones, e.g. forproviding direction-dependent audio signal processing. Such directionalmicrophone system is adapted to enhance a target acoustic source among amultitude of acoustic sources in the user's environment. In one aspect,the directional system is adapted to detect (such as adaptively detect)from which direction a particular part of the microphone signaloriginates. This may be achieved by using conventionally known methods.The signal processing unit may include amplifier that is adapted toapply a frequency dependent gain to the input audio signal. The signalprocessing unit may further be adapted to provide other relevantfunctionality such as compression, noise reduction, filter banks etc.The output unit may include an output transducer such as aloudspeaker/receiver for providing an air-borne acoustic signaltranscutaneously or percutaneously to the skull bone or a vibrator forproviding a structure-borne or liquid-borne acoustic signal. In somehearing aid devices, the output unit may include one or more outputelectrodes for providing the electric signals such as in a CochlearImplant.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a hearing aid device 10, or at leastthe internal components thereof. The hearing aid device comprises ahousing 12 configured to be positioned at the ear of a user. Here thehousing 12 is configured to be positioned in the area or space betweenthe user's pinna and skull, also often designated as behind-the-ear. Aconnector 14 connects the housing 12 to an in-the-ear element 16. Theconnector 14 may be an air conducting tube guising airborne acousticsignals from a speaker in the housing 12 to the in-the-ear element 16.Alternatively, the connector 14 may comprise electrical conductorguiding electric signals to the in-the-ear element 16, which thencomprises a speaker that converts the electrical signal to an acousticsignal that is then presented to the user's ear canal. The housing 12could be made from a material that is resistant to the environment atthe ear of the user, e.g. able to protect the components from sweat,cerumen, oil from the skin, and even rain and/or other environmentalinfluences. Further, the housing or parts thereof such as openings inthe housing, could be protected by a coating, such as a hydrophobiccoating or the like.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates internal components of a hearing aiddevice, similar to the device illustrated in FIG. 1. In FIG. 2 thehousing configured to be positioned on or at an ear of a user is notillustrated. The housing, however, extends in a longitudinal direction,indicated by the axis or double arrow 18. This direction 18 could allowfor the housing to have a suitable shape so that the housing may besituated in the area between the pinna and the skull of the user, asoutlined in the description above.

The hearing aid device illustrated in FIG. 1 and the one in FIG. 2 couldeither be a behind-the-ear device or a receiver-in-the-ear device,depending on the placement of a speaker unit as described above.

The hearing aid device comprises a power source 20. The power source 20is here arranged in the housing, but may alternatively be arranged in aunit attachable to the housing, further alternatively the power sourcecould be distributed between several parts of the hearing aid device.The power source 20 may be replenishable, such as a rechargeablebattery, or a replaceable battery. A coil in the hearing aid may be usedto generate an appropriate power signal which may be used for a rechargeprocess. This could for instance be a near-field magnetic coil arrangedin the housing. The near-field magnetic coil or antenna may thus performat least two different functions, e.g. at different points in time. Thenear-field magnetic antenna may for instance be arranged in an area orvolume between the batter and an end of the housing of the hearing aid.This could allow the near-field magnetic antenna to be placed so thatwhen applying a recharge signal to the coil as few as possible currentsare induced in other parts of the hearing aid, i.e. the charge signaldoes not heat parts of the hearing aid that is not intended to receivethe power signal. The power source 20 is arranged in a compartment (notshown), also denoted a battery compartment, substantially forming partof a battery drawer, especially when the battery is replaceable. In suchan arrangement, the battery drawer is pivotally connected to at least apart of the housing. In the case that the battery is rechargeable, thebattery drawer could be dispensed with, e.g. the battery could bearranged so that it is not accessible without disassembling the housingcompletely.

Among the inner components of the hearing aid device a power connector22 is configured to establish electrical contact between the powersource 20 and electronics 24 and 26 in the hearing aid. The powerconnector 22 is also referred to as a battery spring. In FIG. 2, thepower connector 22 extends generally along a first power connector axis.In FIG. 2, the power connector 22 is generally orientated along, i.e.parallel to, the longitudinal direction of the hearing aid devicehousing indicated by the double arrow 18. The length of the powerconnector 22 is less than the diameter of the power source 22.

In the hearing aid, a first power consuming component, here theelectronic component 26, is arranged on a first substrate 28. Further,in the assembled hearing aid device, the first substrate 28 is arrangedin the housing 12. The first power consuming component 26 is configuredso as to be powered by the power source 20 via the power connector 22.The path from the power source 20 to the power consuming component 26may span several parts of the inner components.

The conductive path, i.e. power line, from the power source 20 to thepower consuming component 26 includes a partial loop. The power drawfrom the power source 20 to the power consuming element through thepartial loop causes a magnetic field to be established. Further, adisturbing magnetic field is created by the same current draw indifferent parts of the supply line. Due to the nature of the powerconsuming component 26 the current is drawn at frequencies thatcorrespond to the audio frequencies used in the communication with thetelecoil, and the disturbing signal is therefore audible in the outputfrom the telecoil unless something is done to compensate for the noise.Owing to the orientation, size and position, the partial loop creates amagnetic field that supresses, compensate or attenuates the disturbingsignal at the telecoil. The result is that the magnetic induction signalreceived at the telecoil is not subjected to a significantly disturbingsignal, and the desired audio signal from a transmitter is received witha lower disturbance than if the partial loop was not present. Thepartial loop may be positioned on any of the substrates in the hearingaid device.

The size, e.g. measured as the largest size of the loop or diameter, ofthe at least partial loop may be in the same range of the size of thepower source but could be smaller or larger.

In FIG. 3, the hearing aid device 10 comprises a communication system,here telecoil 30, arranged in the housing at a distance from the firstpower consuming component 26. Here the first power consuming component26 is a Bluetooth system, i.e. an ASIC configured to performcommunication according to the Bluetooth protocol. In general, such aBluetooth system 26 may be configured to send and/or receive informationwirelessly to/from a remote source, such as a mobile phone, auxiliarydevice, streaming device streaming audio from e.g. a television or thelike. Other protocols may of cause be used, as well as frequencies otherthan 2.4 GHz, which is the most common carrier frequency for Bluetoothsystems. The power consuming element thus draw power at certain pointsin time, including the times when listening for communication from otherunits, commencing communication, performing communication, transmittingto other units etc.

The telecoil is configured to receive inductive communication radiationat a first frequency, such as around audio frequencies. The illustratedtelecoil may receive an inductive signal from a system having a fixedtransmitter, such as in a church, a cinema or other installation or astraditionally from a handset in a landline telephone. If both systems,i.e. telecoil and Bluetooth, are active at the same time, which islikely to occur as the Bluetooth system is inherently configured to e.g.maintain and establish contact with paired and (known and trusted)active devices in the vicinity, the power draw from the Bluetoothsystem, when drawn at intervals corresponding to audio frequencies, maycause interference at the telecoil if not properly compensated, such asby the at least partial loop as described above.

In the hearing aid device, a conductive supply line extends between thepower connector and the first power consuming component, and a part ofthe conductive supply line is formed at the first substrate so as toform at least part of a loop. The loop may include more than one turn,such as two, three, or partial numbers such as one and a half, one and aquarter, or more, or be only partial, such as nearly complete, such as90-99% complete. The at least partial loop may be established bystraight lined conductors so that the loop is essentially a polygon.

The magnetic field from the partial loop will be in the range of 100 mAat a distance of around 5 mm from the loop, which could correspond to apoint at or in the telecoil. In general resulting filed, i.e. themagnetic field being the combination of at least the disturbing fieldand the compensation field from the at least partial loop, should beperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the telecoil, in this waycurrent induced in the telecoil is minimized.

As illustrated in FIG. 4 a part of the power supply line 34 may bearranged at the contour of a first power consuming component 32 so thatwhen the first power consuming component 32 draws power from the powersource the radiation from the power connector and the power supply line36 is at least reduced at the inductive element, i.e. the telecoil, ofthe communication system by a compensating magnetic field created by atleast partial loop 34 in the conductive path. However, the at leastpartial loop 34 may be arranged elsewhere in the hearing aid housing. InFIG. 2 the at least partial loop is established on the verticalsubstrate. Further, the at least partial loop may be arranged asillustrated in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6. At the point 38 the power supply line36 connects to other parts, such as other layers in the substrate 40.

As illustrated in FIG. 5 a part of the power supply line 42 may beraised relative to the substrate 44 and/or power consuming component 46.This could be achieved by e.g. a wire or conductor soldered at two endsto corresponding pads on the substrate 44. The raised part 42 will allowfurther adaptation of the resultant magnetic field. This could be usefulif the substrate 44 is not orientated optimally relative to theorientation of the telecoil. The raised part 42 provides additionaldegrees of freedom for obtaining reduced noise at the telecoil. Further,the raised part 42 may be arranged around the power consuming component,which could prove especially useful when the power consuming componentis a speaker unit, not illustrated. In such as case the raised part 42could be arranged at least partly around the speaker unit. The raisedpart 42 could be used in combination with a loop structure formed in oron the substrate as described above. Here the raised part 42 isillustrated at the outer contour or periphery of the power consumingelement 46. As illustrated in FIG. 6 a raised part 48 may be arranged atother locations than illustrated in FIG. 5, e.g. at a differentsubstrate 50 than the substrate 52 carrying the power consuming element54. In a further alternative, the substrate carrying the at leastpartial loop may be arranged parallel to a sidewall of the housing ofthe hearing aid. An optional additional, here intermediate, substrate 56is provided between the two substrates 50, 52. Any additional substratemay be positioned with any orientation relation to the other substrates.

Further, referring again to FIG. 2, an at least partial loop may beformed on or in a substrate 19 different from the substrate 21 carryingthe power consuming element 26. This allow an angle between the planedefined by the partial loop, e.g. a normal to the plane, and thelengthwise axis of the telecoil 30 to be chosen by the relation betweenthe two substrates. The substrates may be arranged e.g. along the toppart of the housing, such as at a bend of the housing so that the anglesubstantially corresponds to the bend. The angle between the telecoiland the loop may be in the range of 0 to 90 degrees, such as 10 to 80degrees, such as around 10 degrees, such as around 20 degrees, such asaround 45 degrees, such as around or precisely 90 degrees. Additionalsubstrates may be present and possibly further number of at leastpartial loops.

In a further development, more than one at least partial loop may bearranged in the housing. This could be one at least partial loop on onesubstrate and a second at least partial loop on another substrate. Thetwo at least partial loops need not be identical. The difference of thetwo loop could be the degree of windings, e.g. one could have a lessernumber of loops than the other, or lesser degree of a full loop. Thedifference could also be the diameter of the loops. Still further,multiple at least partial loops may be formed on or in the samesubstrate, e.g. at two different locations along the length or width ofthe substrate.

In addition to the telecoil, another inductive communication system maybe included in the hearing aid, such an inductive communication systemcould be advantageous when performing communication between two hearingaids, located at respective left and right sides of the head of theuser.

It is intended that the structural features of the devices describedabove, either in the detailed description and/or in the claims, may becombined with steps of the method, when appropriately substituted by acorresponding process.

As used, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to includethe plural forms as well (i.e. to have the meaning “at least one”),unless expressly stated otherwise. It will be further understood thatthe terms “includes,” “comprises,” “including,” and/or “comprising,”when used in this specification, specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, butdo not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof. It will also be understood that when an element is referred toas being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directlyconnected or coupled to the other element but an intervening elementsmay also be present, unless expressly stated otherwise. Furthermore,“connected” or “coupled” as used herein may include wirelessly connectedor coupled. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and allcombinations of one or more of the associated listed items. The steps ofany disclosed method is not limited to the exact order stated herein,unless expressly stated otherwise.

It should be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to“one embodiment” or “an embodiment” or “an aspect” or features includedas “may” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristicdescribed in connection with the embodiment is included in at least oneembodiment of the disclosure. Furthermore, the particular features,structures or characteristics may be combined as suitable in one or moreembodiments of the disclosure. The previous description is provided toenable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspectsdescribed herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles definedherein may be applied to other aspects.

The claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein,but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of theclaims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intendedto mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather“one or more.” Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some”refers to one or more.

Accordingly, the scope should be judged in terms of the claims thatfollow.

1. A hearing aid device comprising: a housing configured to bepositioned in, on or at an ear of a user, a power source arranged in thehousing, a power connector configured to establish electrical contactwith the power source, the power connector extending along a first powerconnector axis, a first power consuming component arranged on a firstsubstrate, the first substrate arranged in the housing, the first powerconsuming component powered by said power source via said powerconnector, a telecoil arranged in the housing at a distance from saidfirst power consuming component, the telecoil being configured toreceive inductive communication radiation, and a conductive supply lineextending between the power connector and the first power consumingcomponent, a part of the conductive supply line being raised relative toa substrate comprising at least part of the conductive supply line,wherein the raised part of the conductive supply line has a geometry asat least part of a loop, and wherein the raised part of the conductivesupply line is configured to emit a second magnetic field in response tothe first power consuming component drawing power from the power source,so that a magnetic field originating from the power connector, due tothe power draw, is at least reduced at the telecoil by the secondmagnetic field.
 2. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, whereinthe substrate is the first substrate.
 3. The hearing aid deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the substrate is a second substrate. 4.The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the raised part ofthe conductive supply line is raised and positioned at least partlyaround the first power consuming component.
 5. The hearing aid deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the first power consuming componentcomprises a communication system, and the communication system isconnected to an antenna for transmitting and/or receivingelectromagnetic radiation at a first frequency.
 6. The hearing aiddevice according to claim 1, wherein the hearing aid further comprises aspeaker arranged in the housing, the speaker being a power consumingcomponent.
 7. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein thepower connector is orientated in the housing so that the first powerconnector axis extends in a direction substantially parallel to alongitudinal axis of the housing.
 8. The hearing aid device according toclaim 1, wherein a first communication system is included in anintegrated circuit, and a second part of the conductive supply line isshaped similar to the outline of the integrated circuit component. 9.The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the conductivesupply line spans over a multitude of connected substrates.
 10. Thehearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the telecoil isarranged in the housing so that the longitudinal axis of the telecoil issubstantially parallel to the first substrate.
 11. The hearing aiddevice according to claim 1, wherein the at least partial loop isarranged at the periphery of the first power consuming component, in oron the substrate carrying the first power consuming component.
 12. Thehearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the power source is acylindrically shaped battery, and wherein the center axis of the batteryis orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the housing.
 13. Thehearing aid device according to claim 1, further comprising a secondpower connector configured to establish electrical contact with thepower source, wherein the power connector and the second power connectorare arranged so that they contact different sides of the power source.14. The hearing aid device according to claim 12, wherein the secondpower connector extends along a second power connector axis that isperpendicular to the power connector axis.
 15. The hearing aid deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein a part of the conductive supply line isformed on a second substrate and has a geometry as at least part of aloop.
 16. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein theraised part of the conductive supply line is configured so that the atleast partial loop surrounds at least part of the first power consumingcomponent.
 17. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein theraised part of the conductive supply line is constituted by a wire, athread, or a flexible material including a conductor.
 18. The hearingaid device according to claim 1, wherein a coil in the hearing aid isconfigured for providing a power signal to recharge the battery.